Longtime St. John's Administrator Reflects on 61 Years of Building Bridges and Cultivating Relationships

That was how Joseph Sciame ’71Ed, Vice President, Office of Community Relations, encapsulated more than six decades as a St. John’s University student, administrator, and integral member of the campus community, one most often tasked with fostering positive relationships with the diverse groups outside the University’s walls.

As an undergraduate student, Mr. Sciame began his St. John’s journey in 1958 and became an employee in 1962. He has held several leadership positions at St. John’s, most notably as its first Vice President for Financial Aid, and retired in January after six decades of dedicated service.

Mr. Sciame has been a devoted campus community member, a longtime community activist, a Catholic leader, a US Army veteran, the Advisory Board Chair of the Italian Cultural Center, and a proud member of the Italian-American community. He is a National/State Past President of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America and a National Past Chairman of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. His memberships and leadership positions on local and national boards, as well as in civic, cultural, religious, and educational groups, are legion, and include serving as past Chairman of the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center.

“It’s been 61 years of enjoyment,” he recalled.

What has given him the most satisfaction, Mr. Sciame stressed, are the relationships he has cultivated with students, colleagues, and community members. He has often found himself in mentorship roles with students who eventually were employed at  St. John’s, and helped them advance in their careers.

Mr. Sciame felt a special kinship to the students he helped acquire financial aid, offering scholastic excellence scholarships to candidates from local high schools who may not otherwise have been able to afford a college education.

“That’s what my reward of late has been—people I helped coming back into my life,” He reflected.

As a young administrator, Mr. Sciame was not far removed from the students he was tasked to assist. He understood their struggles and empathized with their desire to create a brighter future.

“These people are now in their 60s and 70s,” he said. “I have helped their children and grandchildren. It’s been generational.”

Mr. Sciame attributed this lifelong commitment to his family. “I grew up instilled with a sense of responsibility and was steeped in respect.”

He added that Sunday family dinners were a beloved ritual, and the Catholic Church has profoundly influenced how he lives his life. He lived across from St. Malachy Parish in East New York and began attending at age three, later becoming an altar server. Mr. Sciame spoke affectionately of his parents and grandparents, and the values they instilled in him.

He attended Power Memorial Academy for high school and then decided to attend St. John’s, taking two buses from his home in New Hyde Park, NY, until he got his first car at age 21. To help pay for tuition, Mr. Sciame worked in the St. John’s library two days a week and got a second job working in the library at Columbia University. Eventually, he became a full-time employee of St. John’s in 1962.

Mr. Sciame’s studies were interrupted when he enlisted in the US Army in 1964. He served until his honorable discharge in 1967 and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. He returned to full-time employment at St. John’s, and eventually earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education in 1971.

“I want to be a peacemaker,” Mr. Sciame explained, recalling some of the tumultuous moments he has been called on to mediate over the years.

In his most recent role, he engaged with an incredibly diverse array of cultural, religious, and ethnic communities, many of whom consider him a friend, an ally, and an advocate. In representing the University’s position, he has created the space for their voices to be heard in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

Several of Mr. Sciame’s longtime colleagues spoke about his tireless devotion to the University.  André McKenzie, Ed.D., Vice Provost, said, “Joe has been a tireless advocate for students who truly exemplifies the mission of St. John’s. In my former role as director of the University’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Joe and I worked closely together to ensure that their income status wouldn’t be a barrier to completing their education. He was critical in making the educational journey for HEOP students a successful one. I am proud to call Joe both a colleague and friend, and wish him all the best.”

“If there were a Mount Rushmore-like memorial for St. John’s University, it would feature Joe Sciame’s face,” observed Brian Browne ’93C, ’97G, Associate Vice President of University Communications and Public Affairs. “Joe remains a great ambassador of the University, a valued member of the St. John’s family, and someone I have enjoyed learning from and working alongside through the years.”

“Community building is the difficult and necessary work needed for institutional success. Joe dedicated his career at St. John’s to building communities,” stressed Joseph E. Oliva, Esq. ’91CBA, ’94L, Vice President for Administration and General Counsel. “He built them within the institution, with the surrounding communities, and with government and civic leaders. The relationships he built were built on a strong foundation—and, thus, built to last. Joe embodies the University’s mission and values, and over his many years of service earned the respect and admiration of the many people whose lives he touched.”

“What I would like to leave people with is that within us we all have talents and goodness,” Mr. Sciame explained.” If nurtured properly, the amount of good that can be done is incalculable. “This is some of what’s happened to me.”